Santo Domingo is the capital of the Dominican Republic, the oldest European city in the Americas, and the most developed city on the island of Hispaniola. The old city is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Elsewhere in the Dominican Republic, which is named after Santo Domingo, it's more common to just call this city "the capital" than to call it by its name.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Santo Domingo is the capital city of the Dominican Republic, and it prides itself in being the first European city in the New World. Founded by Christopher Columbus's brother Bartolome Colombus in 1496, it is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas and was the first seat of the Spanish colonial empire in the New World. For this reason, the city of Santo Domingo has a really rich historic and cultural heritage that makes any visit extremely worthwhile. Santo Domingo remains one of the most populous cities in the Central America-Caribbean area, and the main economic and commercial center of this region.
Santo Domingo used to be a huge city (population nearly 4 million people) that was split into 5 independent municipalities: Distrito Nacional, Santo Domingo Este, Santo Domingo Oeste, Santo Domingo Norte and Boca Chica. Fortunately, nearly all tourist attractions and shopping, dining and entertainment venues are relatively close to each other in the Distrito Nacional, making it easy for you to get around and see the sights. Santo Domingo is not entirely a tourist-friendly city. It's often hard to move around if you don't know the city, as many streets lack proper signage and addresses are often reliant on the neighborhood's name more than an actual street address.
Despite boasting a rich cultural, architectural and artistic heritage, Santo Domingo has not been exploited for all its tourist potential. You're pretty much on your own to discover this fascinating city. Make the most of your time there. Colonial Zone. Santo Domingo was the first major European settlement in the New World. Christopher Columbus walked these streets! Check out the many examples of 15th and 16th century architecture in the Colonial Zone. Don't miss the Ozama Fort (built within Columbus's lifetime), the Alcazar de Colon, and the Cathedral, all dating to the early 1500s.
Santo Domingo is an excellent place to study Spanish off the beaten track and get immersed in the language. 9 Kahkow Experience, Calle Las Damas 102, ☏ +1-809-547-2166. 10ː00-19ː00 daily. If you want to try making chocolate or bar soap, this is a place for that, in addition to tours of a confectionary and buying sweet stuff. (updated Nov 2020) 10 AquaMundo, Av. John F. Kennedy (inside Sambil Santo Domingo), ☏ +1 829 547 4014. M-F 09ː00-19ː00, Sa Su 09ː00-17ː00. Another aquarium, but all within the confines of a shopping mall (more gimmicky perhaps than the other one listed). (updated Nov 2020) 11 Playa Boca Chica/Playa San Andres (38 km east of Santo Domingo).
Santo Domingo offers a variety of cuisines from around the world from Chinese, Italian and Mediterranean to Brazilian. You can also find the main fast food franchises like McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell. Mid-grade and high-end restaurants can be quite costly for Third World standards, a dinner with an entrée, main course, drink and dessert can range from US$15-75 per person, plus 10% mandatory tip plus 16% ITBIS tax.
Santo Domingo has an amazing variety of night life options. Most bars and clubs must close by law at midnight from Sunday to Thursday and at two in the morning on Friday and Saturday. Therefore, it is not uncommon for people to start partying at 20:00 on the weekends. Happily, the regulation is suspended on holidays and the last two weeks of December for Christmas partying.
Poverty, though not as bad as next door Haiti, is still rampant and it is best you take precautions. Do not flash obvious wealth in poorer or middle class sections of the city (lots of jewelry, expensive camera, big watches, etc.) Keep your bag away from the street when walking as it can be snatched by kids on mopeds and keep a firm grip on it. Keep your passport at your accommodation and in a safe (some maids can steal). If you are Caucasian or Asian (no matter how you are dressed), expect to have a lot of insincerely friendly people on the streets follow you and strike up conversation with you. They are only talking to you in order to get money from you.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Santo Domingo typically sees ~31°C daytime highs and 27 rainy days.
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